Geographies of Change is a project which draws a new geography made up of places where organizations of different nature and origin are carrying out practices of real sustainability in the most diverse fields and sectors of the collectivity. Geographies of Change maps this movement into the form of a participative online archive.

The current process of transformation of every aspect of our life towards a higher level of individual and social responsibility, developed by the projects included in this constantly updated map and by many others not yet included, is thus made visible and above all accessible and therefore open to opportunities for connections and collaborations.

Since 2003, when at Cittadellarte we started to systematically catalogue responsible practices in their different declinations around the world, the global movement of social awareness has reached a wider and wider scope of individuals, communities and institutions.

The project Geographies of Change maps this movement into the form of a participative online archive which intends to be a utility contributing to achieving two strategic global objectives: making public, visible and usable the common good represented by the concrete experiences already active in the world, and facilitating connections, both within this geography and among its hubs and any other civil society organization with which to build bridges and collaboration paths.

Created by Cittadellarte and the University of Ideas as a platform for research and action, it aims at being an open project in progress, generated by the users themselves: everybody is invited to position themselves within this geography and to explore it experimenting its potential in the context of their own research and practice.

The ultimate goal of the Geographies of Change is making more obvious, shared, incisive and deep the impact of the practices aiming at changing our societies towards more responsible cohabitation models with ourselves and the planet. Each of us is invited to consider assuming a role which goes beyond being a member of a hypothetical democratic society and activating themselves as agents of change. At Cittadellarte, we have developed an articulated narrative and an hands-on implementation model for this process: we started off by reflecting within the open laboratory of the University of Ideas on the undelivered dream of democracy (rule of the people, from ancient Greek Demos and Cratos) and on the instituting power embedded in daily practices enacted by all kinds of organizations. Each of them constitutes an actual microstate, with its legislative and governing bodies: they perform practices by means of which they actually express power. Thus we coined the term Demopraxy, by which we mean this more effective and actual declination of an old and never accomplished dream, that of Democracy.

Cittadellarte is a new model of artistic and cultural institution which places art in direct interaction with the different sectors of society, in order to inspire and produce a responsible transformation through creative ideas and projects.

Michelangelo Pistoletto's symbol Rebirth is an elaboration of the mathematical sign for infinity. The two opposite circles represent nature and artifice, the central circle is the conjunction of the two and represents the womb of rebirth.
Take part too: www.terzoparadiso.org

Due to political oppression, public art has not existed in Yangon for half a century.

Yangon is the capital city of Myanmar with a population of over 5.5 million. Due to political oppression, public art has not existed in Yangon for half a century.During the military junta rule (1962-2010), the law stipulated that gatherings of more than 5 people on the streets were grounds for arrest. This restriction is one of the reasons for the eradication of public art.Before the junta came into power, public art was a feature of everyday life. An example is Myay Wine Zat performing in the streets. Furthermore, traditional festivals included music concerts, car and tricycle parades around the city. But when the military took power, these customs were only allowed in designated places for security reasons.Beyond Pressure seeks to organize and host the YGN Public Art Festival, which will feature ‘mainstream’ art, as well as underground art movements and subcultures.

This project aims to create a space for the rebirth of public art that is going through a process of transformation in Myanmar. We hope the festival will transition into a space of democracy where people may express themselves freely.The YGN Public Art Festival will be held over a month in December and will involve the whole city, in including downtown and suburban areas. It will be composed of: music gigs (park), an open air cinema (park), tea shops (park), graffiti and a street art painting event (street art), performance art events (street art), public installation art at city corners and open spaces (public space), sound and video art at bus stops and train stations (public space), flash mob movement downtown (public space and creative workshops for children (various locations).

About the artist

Moe Satt (b. 1983) lives and works as a visual and performance artist in Yangon, Myanmar. Moe started creating art after graduating in zoology in 2005 and is part of a new generation of Myanmar artists to emerge after 2000, with a different approach to conception and embodiment. In 2008, he founded and organized Beyond Pressure, an international festival of performance art in Myanmar.As a performance artist, Moe has performed in galleries and also on the streets of Yangon. He has actively participated in live arts festivals in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and occasionally in the West.Through his travel encounters, Moe sees the differences between performance artists from open and restricted societies. While contemplating the regional landscape of performance art and the artistic mindset, he has developed a greater understanding of his own identity as an artist and as a person.As a curator, Moe has curated On/Off, Myanmar contemporary art, Hanoi, Vietnam. Forward/Backward, eight Second Wave Myanmar contemporary artists, Bangkok, Thailand. Beyond Pressure Festival of Contemporary Art, Yangon, Myanmar.